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Experts had expected a small increase in first-time jobless claims last week, but applications declined to their lowest level since January 2008. The Labor Department says claims decreased by 18,000, to 324,000. The four-week rolling average, which gives a better picture of labor-market conditions, declined a second consecutive week, to 342,250.

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The number of Americans filing unemployment claims for the first time declined by 23,000 last week, to 280,000, close to a six-year low, the Labor Department said. Some economists are skeptical of the figure, noting that it is difficult to make accurate seasonal adjustments for a period when hiring is influenced by Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. The rolling four-week average, viewed by economists as a better measure of labor-market activity, put the number of claims at 322,250, a 10,750 drop.

First-time jobless claims in the U.S. declined to 339,000 last week, close to a five-year low, the Labor Department says. Economists had expected a total of 351,000. The four-week rolling average, seen as a better indicator of labor-market conditions, reached 357,500, compared with the previous week's 362,000.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits in the U.S. decreased by 10,000 last week, to an adjusted 332,000, the third consecutive week of decline, the Labor Department said. Economists surveyed by Reuters had expected an increase to 350,000. The four-week rolling average, a better indicator of labor-market conditions, reached its lowest level in five years.

First-time claims for unemployment benefits fell to 397,000 last week, the fewest in six weeks, the U.S. Labor Department said. The four-week average, which economists consider a more reliable indicator of labor-market trends, declined by 2,000, to 404,500.